Challah Bread (Braided Egg Bread) Recipe for Hanukkah

This Challah bread is a staple during Hanukkah, but it’s also great for sandwiches and French toast!

Growing up in the culturally diverse city of Vancouver gave me the opportunity to witness and partake in many cultural and religious events and celebrations. From the annual festival at the Greek Orthodox church to the elaborate Chinese New Year celebrations, I reveled in learning about the various customs. Traditional costumes, dances and, oh yeah, food fed my imagination and insatiable taste buds (challah bread was one of those foods that caught my attention). Thanks to my Jewish friends, I learned (and still use) many Hebrew and Yiddish words. I try to work my personal favorites, chutzpah (audacity) and meshugenah (crazy person), into conversations as often as possible for the warped joy of seeing my friends’ perplexed looks.
Inevitably, every December, my Jewish friends and I would have a debate about the virtues of Christmas versus Hanukkah. We were 10 or 11 years old, so these conversations did not revolve around pressing religious or political issues. Rather, we excitedly discussed which holiday gift-giving traditions were better for our toy-obsessed selves. Was it better to receive a pile of presents on one day or one present each night for eight nights? Which holiday foods were better – latkes and applesauce or Chocolate & Peppermint Bark cookies? Yep, we were solving the world’s problems, one holiday at a time.

Hanukkah, of course, is much more than presents and latkes. It is known as the Festival of Lights, eight days of celebration that is symbolized by the lighting of one candle each night on the nine-branched menorah. The festival celebrates the time of the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem in the second century BCE. Judah Maccabee and the other Jews involved in the rededication proclaimed a miracle when the olive oil used to light the menorah lasted for eight days, rather than just one day, which gave the people time to press more oil for the lamp. The role of olive oil in this event is why fried foods, such as potato latkes, are popular foods on Hanukkah.

In honor of the lighting of the first candle tonight, I wanted to make a recipe that might be featured in a traditional Jewish meal. The dense, slightly sweet egg bread is braided and baked to a deep golden brown. It works beautifully on its own, with a swipe of butter, but also makes a mean sandwich or batch of French toast. This recipe is straight from the pages of the December 2010 issue of Saveur Magazine. Be sure to check out their other ideas for a traditional Hanukkah feast.

The recipe:

Heat milk to 115 degrees in a small saucepan. Pour it into a large bowl and stir in yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes to give the yeast a chance to activate. The surface should be foamy after 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together melted and cooled butter and eggs. Stir into the milk mixture.

Stir in flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 6 to 8 minutes.

Set the ball of dough in a large bowl that is greased with cooking spray or butter and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down the dough, recover with plastic wrap, and let rest until the dough is slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from bowl and divide it into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 16-inch rope. Lay the dough ropes side-by-side and pinch one end of the ropes together.

Braid the pieces of dough in the following manner: Cross the left piece of dough over the middle piece. Cross the right piece of dough over what is now the new middle piece. Try to do this as evenly as possible to avoid large gaps between the dough ropes. Continue this process until you reach the end. Pinch together the ends and tuck the both ends underneath the loaf.

Place the loaf on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let the dough rest (proof) for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the mixture all over the surface of the loaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake until the bread is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

Heat milk to 115 degrees in a small saucepan. Pour it into a large bowl and stir in yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes to give the yeast a chance to activate. The surface should be foamy after 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together melted and cooled butter and eggs. Stir into the milk mixture.Stir in flour, ¼ cup sugar, and salt until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 6 to 8 minutes.

Set the ball of dough in a large bowl that is greased with cooking spray or butter and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, recover with plastic wrap, and let rest until the dough is slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from bowl and divide it into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 16-inch rope. Lay the dough ropes side-by-side and pinch one end of the ropes together.

Braid the pieces of dough in the following manner: Cross the left piece of dough over the middle piece. Cross the right piece of dough over what is now the new middle piece. Try to do this as evenly as possible to avoid large gaps between the dough ropes. Continue this process until you reach the end. Pinch together the ends and tuck the both ends underneath the loaf.

Place the loaf on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let the dough rest (proof) for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the mixture all over the surface of the loaf. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake until the bread is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

I love challah bread and yours is gorgeous!!! I've made it once, but other than that I buy it at the bakery and love it for french toast and grilled Nutella sandwiches:) Sometimes I just tear off a big piece and eat it plain:) You've inspired me to make it again.

I love the taste of challah bread but usually purchase it at the Jewish bakery, I wouldn't dare attempt to make it as I don't think I am that skilled in the kitchen yet but thanks for the how-to recipe.

Mmm Mmm Mmmm Challa for Chanukah!! Love it!! I made it couple of times but your post encourages me to make it this week for the holiday! Thanks and could use a slice this morning with some jam! 🙂 Shulie

I do adore challah and (confession) have never made it! For many years it was the only bread I used for French Toast. Now I am thinking of going back to that tradition… if my bread could turn out as scrumptious as yours.

What a truly wonderful post! Yes, I can just hear those long-ago discussions about which of us, Jews or Christians, had it better, and I can taste all of those wonderful Hanukkah treats that I grew up eating. What a joy to be able to trade and share customs and stories and culinary delights! Your Challah is stunningly perfect and next time I make Challah I will turn to this recipe. It is beautiful! Happy Holidays! (my husband also gets a kick out of using Yiddish words like these!)

Ha! Used to have the same debate with my girl friends. Living in NY we had a similar diversity to Vancouver. Now there is no comparisons I just celebrate every holiday that comes my way.I remember many crispy cool days in NYC, taking a long walk & picking up a freshly baked challah bread. With each step I took a bite & it was blissful! Carbs didn't count nor show those days 🙂 Beautiful bread Dara. xo

This looks great! I tried to make challah for rosh hashannah, and while it looked pretty, the texture was not right. It was very dry and not nearly dense enough. I'll have to try this recipe next time!

Hi Dara,What a lovely post with such excellent writing and such beautiful photographs. I adore Challah bread, and I loved seeing your variation. It is wonderful to grow up in diverse communities. Such a blessing to sample different food and learn about different traditions! Thank you for sharing with me. Have a love-filled weekend!

While this recipe reads as a nice braided brioche, this is not challah. Real challah never, never has any dairy in it. This is because challah is made specifically for Shabbat dinner during which meat is supposed to be served. A bread containing dairy cannot be served with meat.

Also, there is no tradition of eating challah for Channukah. Except, of course, during Shabbat. Traditional foods for Channukah are fried foods, hence the well known latke (pancake) and sufganiyot (jam busters). There is also a tradition of eating foods with cheese in them so cheesecake would be appropriate.

can you provide a challah recipe that doesn’t include milk or any dairy foods? onFriday nights when many Jewish families make and eat challah, it is tradition to make chicken or some other meat for dinner. if there is milk in the challah it can’t be served with a meal that includes meat. Thanks!